The Light by Which We See

You are the fountain of life, the light by which we see. Psalm 36:9 (NLT)

On February 18, 1952, a brutal nor’easter hit off the coast of Cape Cod. The crew of the Pendleton T2 oil tanker was trapped aboard the ship when it split in half. Despite the massive storm, Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernie Webber set out with a small team to rescue the thirty men on board the sinking ship.

The brave team rescued thirty-two sailors, carrying them to safety in a lifeboat designed to carry only twelve people. Bernie Webber spotted the blinking red light of the buoy inside the Chatham Bar which guided them safely into Old Harbor and to the Chatham Fish Pier.

In many ways, their story is our own. We were lost and in need of a Savior. Jesus, the Light of the world, set aside His royal robes and all the splendors of heaven to enter our dark and sinful world. He could have shrugged and said, “I’m not going down to help them. They got themselves into this mess. Leave them to suffer the consequences.”

Our story would have ended very differently had Christ not come to rescue us from spiritual darkness. Without Him, we would be lost forever. He is the Light that brings hope and guides us safely home.

Christmas is the season we celebrate and honor the Light of the world. Have you accepted God’s Light? Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior? If not, won’t you receive Him today?